JeffReuben
Benziger House in autumn
The Nicholas C. and Agnes Benziger House, located at Edgecombe Avenue and West 150th Street in Harlem, was built in 1891. Its owner was a successful book publisher specializing in Catholic books. Designed by architect Williams Schickel, this house was built in an area that included other mansions, including one by James A. Bailey of circus fame. However the area soon developed with apartment houses, so this building is a vestige of an earlier less urban era in Harlem's history. (As a point of clarification, this area was in the past considered to be part of Washington Heights, but in our times the dividing line between Harlem and Washington Heights is commonly considered to be 155th Street
After the Benzigers sold the house in 1920, it was used as a medical facility for a time and later as a "hotel," according to some sources, or a brothel according to others.
Today, this building is operated by Broadway Housing Communities, a non-profit housing provider, as a residence for formerly homeless single adults.
***
"The Benziger House was constructed in 1890-91 in a section of Harlem that still resembled a country village. The house was the residence of Agnes Benziger and her husband Nicholas, a successful publisher, manufacturer and importer of religious books and articles. Designed by the prominent German architect William Schuckel, the mansion features a flared mansard roof pierced by numerous gabled dormers and a richly colored iron-spot brick façade. The building remained in the Benziger family until 1920 when it became part of a medical institution. In 1989, the property was acquired, with support from the City of New York and the Abraham family, to provide permanent housing for homeless adults."
NYC Landmarks Plaque
Benziger House in autumn
The Nicholas C. and Agnes Benziger House, located at Edgecombe Avenue and West 150th Street in Harlem, was built in 1891. Its owner was a successful book publisher specializing in Catholic books. Designed by architect Williams Schickel, this house was built in an area that included other mansions, including one by James A. Bailey of circus fame. However the area soon developed with apartment houses, so this building is a vestige of an earlier less urban era in Harlem's history. (As a point of clarification, this area was in the past considered to be part of Washington Heights, but in our times the dividing line between Harlem and Washington Heights is commonly considered to be 155th Street
After the Benzigers sold the house in 1920, it was used as a medical facility for a time and later as a "hotel," according to some sources, or a brothel according to others.
Today, this building is operated by Broadway Housing Communities, a non-profit housing provider, as a residence for formerly homeless single adults.
***
"The Benziger House was constructed in 1890-91 in a section of Harlem that still resembled a country village. The house was the residence of Agnes Benziger and her husband Nicholas, a successful publisher, manufacturer and importer of religious books and articles. Designed by the prominent German architect William Schuckel, the mansion features a flared mansard roof pierced by numerous gabled dormers and a richly colored iron-spot brick façade. The building remained in the Benziger family until 1920 when it became part of a medical institution. In 1989, the property was acquired, with support from the City of New York and the Abraham family, to provide permanent housing for homeless adults."
NYC Landmarks Plaque